Balmy Alley Murals
Balmy Alley Murals
4.5
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Mission District
From burritos to bicyclists, the Mission is the foundation for all things hip in the city. Cultural attractions, an independent arts community, sumptuous street murals and a high density of bars and cafes make this neighborhood a magnet for young people. While terrific inexpensive food is abundant, its top-of-the-line restaurants now compete with the city’s best for fashionable diners. Indulge as the locals do by heading to Mission Dolores Park, buy some ice cream, and savor one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country.
How to get there
- 24th St Mission • 7 min walk
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3,719 within 5 kms
Attractions
1,101 within 10 kms
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
152 reviews
Excellent
89
Very good
46
Average
10
Poor
4
Terrible
3
Quinten Jiskoot
Amsterdam, The Netherlands795 contributions
Sep 2022
We made a walk through the Mission District and saw the most famous mural alleys, like this one. While Clarion is the most impressive, Balmy is not bad at all either. Sometimes you see small groups with a guide, it is part of some city tours.
Written October 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vancouver_dan
North Vancouver, Canada724 contributions
Mar 2014 • Family
This attraction should be much higher on the list of SF attractions (It is free! It is beautiful!). Perhaps the problem is that, as of early April 2014, there seem to be two listings for what is properly called Balmy Alley.
This is one of 2 beautiful, mural covered alleys that we enjoyed in the Mission District (the other was Clarion Alley, south of 17th and Valencia). We stopped into the Precita Eyes shop just around the corner from Balmy Alley at 2981 24th St (also listed in trip advisor) where we purchased an inexpensive pamphlet that provides history along with the names of the murals and the artists. Precita Eyes also offers tours; unfortunately this did not work for our schedule. Next time for sure.
It seems like every building surface in Balmy Alley is covered with bright murals - many depicting political and religious messages. We had some interesting discussions about the meaning of the murals as we wandered along the alley. Something about the street art aspect of these paintings really sparked the attention of our teens. We were very lucky to see muralists at work - in one case restoring a mural that was originally painted in 1984 ("Culture Contains the Seeds of Resistance...").
After numerous visits to San Francisco and the well known tourist attractions, I am very happy to have made it to the Mission - a lively and vividly colourful neighbourhood. Our base for a day in the Mission was a few blocks from both alleys near the corner of Valencia and 24th. There was a first class bakery for coffee and snacks, a great casual Mexican restaurant for lunch and a consignment store that my teen daughter and wife loved. This area and Balmy Alley in particular are must sees!
This is one of 2 beautiful, mural covered alleys that we enjoyed in the Mission District (the other was Clarion Alley, south of 17th and Valencia). We stopped into the Precita Eyes shop just around the corner from Balmy Alley at 2981 24th St (also listed in trip advisor) where we purchased an inexpensive pamphlet that provides history along with the names of the murals and the artists. Precita Eyes also offers tours; unfortunately this did not work for our schedule. Next time for sure.
It seems like every building surface in Balmy Alley is covered with bright murals - many depicting political and religious messages. We had some interesting discussions about the meaning of the murals as we wandered along the alley. Something about the street art aspect of these paintings really sparked the attention of our teens. We were very lucky to see muralists at work - in one case restoring a mural that was originally painted in 1984 ("Culture Contains the Seeds of Resistance...").
After numerous visits to San Francisco and the well known tourist attractions, I am very happy to have made it to the Mission - a lively and vividly colourful neighbourhood. Our base for a day in the Mission was a few blocks from both alleys near the corner of Valencia and 24th. There was a first class bakery for coffee and snacks, a great casual Mexican restaurant for lunch and a consignment store that my teen daughter and wife loved. This area and Balmy Alley in particular are must sees!
Written April 5, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bbb57aolcom
san francisco1,106 contributions
Jun 2014 • Solo
Starting off ---
1) this is the wrong photo --- this picture is of the 16th Avenue Tiled Stairwell (Sunset District); not Balmy Alley.
2) There are two listings for this alley (the other being Balmy Alley --- #182). Since we are coming for the murals and not the alley, this is probably the better listing.
So the consistent "5" ratings for a place I have never heard of surprised me, so I decided to check it out myself. This is a very nice find --- "5" as in you must come here if you visit San Francisco --- seems a bit of a reach, but some may like this art that much --- I have posted lots of pictures so you can make up your mind.
I vote for a "4" rating --- worth the detour.
Balmy Alley is home to the most concentrated collection of murals in the city of San Francisco. It is located in the south central portion of the Inner Mission District between 24th Street and Garfield Square.
The project to install murals in Balmy Alley has been described, along with San Diego's Chicano Park and Los Angeles' Estrada Courts, as a leading example of Chicano mural environments giving expression to a history of displacement and marginalization traditionally experienced by Mexicans and Chicanos of the United States, and as a means to reclaim the spaces historically denied to them. The murals of Balmy Alley date to 1972, as work of the two-woman team of Patricia Rodriquez and Graciela Carillo known as Las Mujeres Muralistas. In 1984, Ray Patlan spearheaded a further project to install murals throughout the alley featuring the common theme of a celebration of indigenous Central American cultures and as protest of US intervention in Central America. This culminated in the addition of twenty-seven murals during the summer of 1985, funded in part by a grant of $2,500 from the Zellerbach Foundation. This art project proved influential, inspiring the La Lucha Continua Art Park/La Lucha Mural Park in New York City the following year.
Easy to find/reach --- Mission bus --- exit 24th street; head east (away from Twin Peaks and towards the bay) 5-10 blocks (depends on what you call a block); it is the alley on the south side of 24th street. You can also take BART exit 24th and Mission.
GPS --- Garfield Square (Park), San Francisco. Garfield Park is on 25th Street --- Balmy Alley runs into Garfield Park.
1) this is the wrong photo --- this picture is of the 16th Avenue Tiled Stairwell (Sunset District); not Balmy Alley.
2) There are two listings for this alley (the other being Balmy Alley --- #182). Since we are coming for the murals and not the alley, this is probably the better listing.
So the consistent "5" ratings for a place I have never heard of surprised me, so I decided to check it out myself. This is a very nice find --- "5" as in you must come here if you visit San Francisco --- seems a bit of a reach, but some may like this art that much --- I have posted lots of pictures so you can make up your mind.
I vote for a "4" rating --- worth the detour.
Balmy Alley is home to the most concentrated collection of murals in the city of San Francisco. It is located in the south central portion of the Inner Mission District between 24th Street and Garfield Square.
The project to install murals in Balmy Alley has been described, along with San Diego's Chicano Park and Los Angeles' Estrada Courts, as a leading example of Chicano mural environments giving expression to a history of displacement and marginalization traditionally experienced by Mexicans and Chicanos of the United States, and as a means to reclaim the spaces historically denied to them. The murals of Balmy Alley date to 1972, as work of the two-woman team of Patricia Rodriquez and Graciela Carillo known as Las Mujeres Muralistas. In 1984, Ray Patlan spearheaded a further project to install murals throughout the alley featuring the common theme of a celebration of indigenous Central American cultures and as protest of US intervention in Central America. This culminated in the addition of twenty-seven murals during the summer of 1985, funded in part by a grant of $2,500 from the Zellerbach Foundation. This art project proved influential, inspiring the La Lucha Continua Art Park/La Lucha Mural Park in New York City the following year.
Easy to find/reach --- Mission bus --- exit 24th street; head east (away from Twin Peaks and towards the bay) 5-10 blocks (depends on what you call a block); it is the alley on the south side of 24th street. You can also take BART exit 24th and Mission.
GPS --- Garfield Square (Park), San Francisco. Garfield Park is on 25th Street --- Balmy Alley runs into Garfield Park.
Written June 28, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
crowbear
austin, tx32 contributions
Jul 2012 • Couples
The Bay area is a high point for street art in the US. From the murals spanning whole blocks of garages on alleys in the Mission District to an incredible set of steps in a neighborhood south of Golden Gate Park. The Barr Crutcher steps link 15th street to a community park at the top of a very steep hill. The neighborhood artisans created an incredible galactic design in mosaic tiles. There is a cohesive theme of celestial and solar designs that undulates up a rise of approximately 70 feet from bottom to top. Not only are the detailed patterns and intricate designs stunning, but the view of the Golden Gate park windmills cast against the backdrop of the ocean is amazing. Scan to the north and you can catch the top of the Palace of Fine Arts towers and the Golden Gate bridge in the far background.
Written September 18, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rose Tea
North Carolina1,305 contributions
Nov 2017 • Family
When planning my trip to San Francisco, I had this on my list of things to do. With time running short I forgot about Balmy Alley and prioritized other sites, however our group happened past it. I was shocked this is a site people are seeking out. It is a short, dirty, grimey alley that I would not want to spend a second on. The "street art" is vulgar and ugly. Skip this entirely, I do not know why anyone would bother.
Written January 7, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brenda S
Boxford, MA31 contributions
Feb 2013 • Friends
We had just arrived in San Francisco. We quickly unpacked our bags, and headed toward the Mission district of the city, eager to see the murals. On the way, I contacted Precita Eyes, to find out the hours and location of mural tours. We met a former high school student I had taught about ten years ago, and off we all went on the tour. We spent most of our time in Balmy Alley, off of 24th street. The tour guide, a real character, told us about the history and the art. What stood out were: After the Storm by Tina Wolfe, After Huricane Katrina, and City Scapes by Sirron Norris. We viewed incredibly colorful and vivid murals of Mexican and Chicano displacement, U.S. intervention into South America, and even 3D mural reliefs. Of course, I took copious photos. We followed up our fascinating tour by a hearty South Indian lunch at Dosa on Valencia, not far from Balmy Alley. I highly recommend this mural art tour if you are an artist or if you are just interested in learning how artists express the guts of society.
Written February 25, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gregory S
Lemoore, CA328 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
No parking to be found in the city famous for no parking. This place is in a sketchy area to start with. Do yourself a favor and don’t waste your time or your life.
Written March 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
misopiso88
Seattle, WA24,874 contributions
Mar 2019 • Family
Wonderful alley filled with beautiful murals! In the heart of the Mission District, Balmy Alley is definitely worth the detour.
Written March 5, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
eagle132
Beersheba, Israel116 contributions
Oct 2013 • Friends
Went here with a friend while was on a break from the conference center, short bart ride away, nice walk through some very great murals painted on houses, this alley has a feel of the neighborhood that they live in with some great art work on the walls.
its worth the trip! and there is great mexican food all around
its worth the trip! and there is great mexican food all around
Written October 15, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HelenaGuerra
Washington DC, DC13,779 contributions
Nov 2012 • Couples
Tip
- If you like this type of art you should check La Casa de Las Mujeres
Pros
- Beautiful murals
This is one of my fav places in SF. The murals are gorgeous. They deserve a visit (see pics).
- If you like this type of art you should check La Casa de Las Mujeres
Pros
- Beautiful murals
This is one of my fav places in SF. The murals are gorgeous. They deserve a visit (see pics).
Written November 18, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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